Cycling in Bangkok

Planning to ride a bicycle in Bangkok ? Go ahead, it has been done before.
This page is intended to elongate your life and get you around a bit easier.

Bangkok has a second-level bicycle track. However, you will not be able to avoid the less enjoyable, larger ground-level roads, where you fight heavy traffic. Luckily, you don't spend much time on these: With the right route, you reach your destination faster than other vehicles.

People who come from outside Bangkok (like me) would want to combine bike and some sort of motorized transport, so below comes Thailand's first Park & Ride Page !

Importer. Huge selection, odd parts, bargains. Take their good service but not their advice.

Ram Inthra Rd

946-4117-9, 510-1041

Sahapatt Bicycle

Moderate prices

check GPS

447-0169, 879-4259

Lan Luang Bikeshop

Medium quality, lowest prices

Worachak / Chinatown

221-3775, 221-8545

The Metropolitan Cycling Environment

Black and White

In every country, you will find good people and bad people. No surprise, Bangkok has good cyclists and bad cyclists:

The bad ones are those with the locally-made bicycles. Their brakes and reflectors don't work, they have no light, if they have gears they can't be shifted, their chain is rusty, their saddle is too low, they ride O-legged and they often carry a passenger on the back. Their speed is just fast enough to maintain balance and they have learned that it's best not to cycle on the road.

The good cyclists ride imported frames with American brand names and Japanese and Taiwanese components. Their bikes lack mudguards and stands, are often the latest model and in good condition. They are as fast as the slower motorcycles and indeed do go on roads, where they expect to be respected by their traffic partners.

If you consider yourself a "good cyclist", read on.

Cycling in a Motorized Society

Bangkok traffic police gives a cyclist very little trouble. Maybe they believe that cyclists can really make a difference, reduce air pollution, noise and traffic jams - or maybe, I'm just dreaming.

Most motorists however believe that bicycles are toys and these should not be used on busy roads. If you insist on using their roads, people still won't hit you directly, but expect that they horn you, stare at you (at night with the high beam), force you to yield, go dangerously close, cut across your way, shout at you or even throw things at you.
If an accident happens and the motorist cares to stop, he will jump up and say "Why do you play your bicycle on the road ? You know how dangerous this is !".

Survival Guide

Want to give it a try ? Here are the rules:

Don't be a nice guy. If there is little space, ride in the middle of the road to prevent motorists from doing things that could hurt you. Surely, they will be very angry, but they won't run over you. If you instead move to the side of the road, vehicles will speed up while something unexpected (let's say a hole or a dog) could make you move back into the lane.

Confuse drivers: If a fast vehicle approaches, you must move about one meter towards the center of the lane, then quickly come back. The driver will be confused and will either reduce speed or keep a safe distance to you. If you don't do this, the draft of the vehicle at close distance could throw you off the bike or a mirror could hit you.

Do not indicate a turn by stretching out your arm: Drivers will either hit your arm, or speed up to get past you before you actually turn. Simply make sure that there is enough space for drivers to react and slow down, then do the turn slowly, while you carefully watch the approaching vehicles.

Don't let public busses go past you, when the next stop is in sight. Being at your hight, the bus will pull to the side of the road and force you into a crowd of people waiting for this bus.

Try not to dodge minor objects (holes, pedestrians, dogs) without being very sure that no car or motorbike is coming from behind. It helps to have a mountainbike, it can stand a lot more than a roadbike.

Know your traffic partners: Colliding with a motorbike causes a lot of injury. Hitting a car, badly damages the bike but the rider often slides smoothly over bonnet or roof. Pedestrians and dogs will be propelled away when hit, and often you will stay in the saddle with zero damage to the bike.

Taxis and TukTuks: Be very careful when you follow them, they can stop instantly if a potential passenger appears. A good brake will help, but always think of the guy behind you.

Maintain speed: If you go slow, drivers tend to push you to the slower lanes were many funny things happen (and many Taxis linger). If you go really slow, beggars may approach you.

Keep in mind that pedestrians don't expect traffic when they don't hear an engine. People step into the road without looking.

Don't count on people to hear your bell: Bells are associated with street vendors and when you ring it, you will make people think of fried noodles or ice cream. A pressure horn instead will give you attention. Anything that sounds like screeching tires will give you a lot more attention.

Stay clear of cars that have oversized tires protruding from the fenders.

Rain: Follow in someone else's track as to avoid covered holes. Be prepared to get out of the way, a lot of drivers don't reduce their speed in water while accidents definitely happen.

In the dark, use a strong light and plenty of reflectors. This will give you a tremendous safety advantage over the local cyclists.

Avoid areas of little traffic after 4pm, when dogs go aggressive and attack fast-moving objects. When you stop abruptly, most dogs scatter. Shoot stones at those who stay on you (and at their owner, for a more permanent effect).